The other morning I caught a glimpse of a whoopie pie on a cooking segment on The Today Show that made this gluten-free girl jealous. There aren’t many deserts that I miss since the cravings went away years ago, but when I saw this delicious double layer chocolate cake with a cream cheese frosting smooshed in the middle, I had to admit. I wanted some.

Then they said that you can make these vegan or gluten-free too. Seriously? Could it be this decadence from my past could be enjoyed today? Given the creativity of chefs today who accommodate food allergies I was pretty sure it could be done. The only concern I had was how dense they may be, since gluten-free flours tend to end up pretty dense. At least, they do when we bake them 🙂

Gesine Bullock-Prado is pastry chef and author of “Let Them Eat Cake,” says yes. In the quick today Show segment, she made it through a couple of her favorite chocolate dessert recipes — including cookies, whoopie pies and chocolate zucchini bread — with instructions on how to modify each recipe to make it vegan, gluten-free or just all around healthier.

She offers recipe variations for gluten-free or vegan versions for the Whoopies, Chocolate Zucchini Bread and her “Big Winooski”, and dense chocolate cookie that I’m pretty sure our son will love.

Head over to the Today Show to check out her recipes and the vegan and gluten-free variations to try.

I LOVE chocolate. The taste, the health benefits and the way it feels when a rich, delicious piece melts in my mouth and makes the sides of my throat tingle with its deliciousness – so many reasons to love it. But since I follow a paleo diet, I try to avoid sugar, so I had to find a way to enjoy a chocolatey flavor that was sugar-free, and mostly paleo. Then I discovered these guys – they’re frozen, chocolate banana bites that are packed with coconut oil goodness, raw cocao and bananas, so if you’re trying to make sure you eat enough coconut oil, this is a great way to help. Because coconut oil melts at room temperature, keep these in the freezer and take out one or two when the urge hits, let it defrost for a few minutes and enjoy.

A friend passed this recipe along which she found on WholeFoodsMarket’s site; I haven’t yet tried it but am excited to give it a shot, so I’m getting it up on the site to have it ready when we test it out this weekend.

Put sunflower seeds and almonds into a large bowl, cover by 2 inches with water, cover and set aside at room temperature to let soak for 10 to 12 hours; drain well.

Pulse sunflower seeds and almonds in a food processor until very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in celery, pickles, onions, dill, maple syrup, lemon juice, kelp, pepper and salt. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Notes

Serve this tasty nut- and seed-based salad on its own, or spread onto wraps or nori with assorted veggies.